NOVEMBER

Comfort Quilt Workshop

Friday, November 18th at Gualala Arts

9:30am-3:30pm.

Season of Plenty, Season of Comfort

     Tis the season to be thankful for small     comforts and we’ll be doing just that, in a Big Way.  Comfort Quilts, the most humble of all quilting endeavors, take center stage as we replenish our stash, so that we can give them to those who need them most.  After sending so many to Houston and Paducah for hurricane relief after Katrina, our closet is nearly empty, and Christmas is coming. 

     `With Project Santa just around the corner, we need YOU to whip up quilt tops or work on some already constructed.  Fabrics and batting are provided, and you can work without a machine if you want to assemble and yarn-tie the quilts-in-progress.  Children’s’ quilts are a top priority, so think juvenile (not a problem for some of us…) and come with bright ideas to sew into tangible comfort.  As we continue to realize, comfort quilts are “The best thing we do” to spread happiness---individually and as a guild.

Coming Soon - Holiday Luncheon

The December meeting will be our annual holiday luncheon. We encourage everyone to attend. This self-catered affair is a time for us to get together and schmooze with old friends and get to know newcomers to our Guild. Please bring a quilt to share in show & tell if you like. It is a low key, relaxing and fun time for all. So hold the date, December 9th, and join us for some old fashioned camaraderie and great food.

     We will play an exciting game and will be “exchanging fabric”. Each person is asked to bring 4 fat quarters of fabric in dots or circles (not wrapped). Please bring something beautiful and fun that is not holiday related. There will be assignments for the pot luck and more about the luncheon in the December issue. Be there or be square!

Membership News

    All I have this month is a change of mailing address for Katy Horn  -- it is now P.O. Box 705,  Gualala  95445. Everything else for her remains the same.

Art Quilt Show

     PPQG member Anita Kaplan will be showing her art quilts at the Sea Ranch Lodge from November 30th-December 28th.

    The opening reception is Friday, December 2nd, 5-7 p.m. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Guild Glimmers

Charlotte Warr Anderson

by Paula Osborne

     Some quilts are best seen at a distance, while others gather strength as you close in on them.  Charlotte Warr Anderson’s are of the latter variety.  Wonderful from across a room, they gain momentum as you approach.  At close range, the realism of her appliqué is enhanced; her quilts exude originality and expertise.  Anderson’s modest demeanor belies her technical prowess, though she admits to being fiercely competitive.  “I like to win prizes” she says, and enters every contest she can find. Anderson is a patient perfectionist, clearly evident in a single glance at her work.  The prizes and awards keep her engaged and motivated, and her workshops get her extraordinary technique “out there” within reach of the more occasional quilter.

     Charlotte Anderson is best known for her portrait quilts, and an intriguing method of layering appliqué from the top down, instead of from the bottom up, which—coupled with fusible thread—distinguishes hers from other appliquéd art quilts.  Animals rate high with Charlotte, and her animal subjects are especially winsome.  Anderson’s slide show included a variety of art quilts she admires, as well as many of her own.  Norman Rockwell came to mind as I watched her personal anthology of quilts from such categories as Religion (commissions from the LDS church), History, Landscapes, Humor, Children, Animals, and Portraits.  Though pictorials are her favorite genre, Charlotte’s strong sense of color and design combine with her technical expertise to achieve beautifully balanced compositions, whether abstract or realistic.

    Anderson’s workshop students found that her process made sense (“you had to be there”) and her class format enabled them to more or less complete a simple appliqué project—a flower appliquéd “in the air” before being applied to its background.  Impressed with her originality and meticulous technique, students reported satisfaction with their own results as well.

“TENS”

President’s Message by Lynne Atkins

     We are gearing up the planning for our big Tenth Anniversary Challenge Show and Celebration!   Kathye Hitt and I will be chairing these fun events!  The Challenge Show will open with a gala reception on March 10, 2006.  The theme is “A Perfect Ten” – in honor of our Anniversary.  Your challenge is to incorporate the notion of “ten” somewhere in your quilt.  This could be ten different colors, the number “10” or “X”, the word ten, ten flying geese, and so on – let your creativity take over – you are limited only by your imagination!  But keep your “tens” a secret!  It will  be a challenge to the Show’s attendees to determine just how you honored this theme in the building of your quilt. They will need to find your “tens” - sort of  a “Where’s Waldo”  type of exercise!  Entry forms are due by March 1, 2006 and the quilts must be delivered on March 8 between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  The minimum perimeter size is 72 inches and the maximum width is 60 inches.  There is a limit of two entries per quilter.  You may sell your quilt if you wish, but please know that Gualala Arts receives a 30% commission on the sale. Now that you know the parameters, you can start putting together your designs and building your Challenge entries!

     Along with the Challenge Show in the Gallery, we will have two other quilt shows honoring our anniversary.  In the Foyer and in the Auditorium we will hang a Past Presidents’ Quilt Retrospective, headed by Paula Osborne, and a Past Challenge Show Retrospective, headed by Karel Metcalf.  We have the whole downstairs of Gualala Arts dedicated to our quilts!

     Following our Challenge Reception, guild members and their guest are invited to adjourn to the auditorium where we will continue our evening of celebration with dinner toasts and a program, including entertainment. This will be chaired by Donna Blum and prepared by GAC’s Culinary Arts Guild, with decorations by Anita Kaplan,

     Needless to say, we will require many willing hands     to make these plans a reality.  If you would like to volunteer, please call Kathye or me.  We will celebrate our ten years as a guild in high style! 

Library Corner

By Ann Graf

I am happy to report that many of the “missing” quilt books have returned to our shelves -- not always in the correct spot, however. Please look at the spine label for both numbers (MOST are 746.46, quilting, piecing, etc., but not all) and the letters.  Books should be alphabetical within the correct shelf area.  

    This month we have added one new book, Judy Mathieson’s latest:  Mariner’s Conpass Quilts - Setting a New Course. Judy is America’s expert on the Mariner’s Compass and presents an amazing new method using freezer-paper foundations that produces accurate results every time.  What a way to create your “Perfect Ten” challange!  Other additions to our collection are a Gai Perry standard Impressionist Palette and  Great  American Quilts 2002 , part of a series.

Oh, the Things You Can Learn in 2006

Fantastic Fusible Flowers with Melinda Bula

Thursday, February 16th, 10–4pm, $85

Learn how Melinda turns a picture into her Fabulous Fusible Flower art quilts. Look through the eyes of an artist with Melinda’s technique. Learn artist’s techniques for color, layout and design while developing your own creative style. A pattern is included with the class. If you have some art experience you may bring your own picture to interpret in class. Create a Fusible Flower wonder. It’s fun and challenging. Some thread play will be demonstrated in class.

Shadowed Circles with Judy Mathieson

Thursday, May 18th, 10-4pm, $85

Curved piecing? You can do that easily after you take this inspiring class from Sonoma County’s own Judy Mathieson. Known for her superb mariners compass quilts, Judy branches off in a new direction with shadowed circles.